The Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Roza Otunbayeva, discussed a “roadmap for future engagement” in Kabul on Wednesday.
In a series of tweets in Pashto, Hafiz Zia Ahmad, the Deputy Spokesman of the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revealed that the dialogue encompassed Afghanistan’s interaction with the international community, the prevailing situation in the country and the region, and the plan for future engagements.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad quoted Muttaqi as saying, “As we have established security and stability, now it’s the time to transition from mere theoretical discussions to concrete actions that alleviate the nation’s suffering.” The Taliban’s foreign minister has shown “readiness” to interact with the international community, highlighting the group is “cooperating comprehensively” with aid organizations.
Zia also conveyed that the head of UNANA emphasized the urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the primary focus, and called for the delivery of development assistance to the people in parallel.
This international engagement discussion comes after the Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada’s secret meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani where according to Reuters, the Taliban leader showed “strong interest” in continuing the dialogue with the international community to seek ways for ending Afghanistan’s isolation and boosting relief programs amidst the escalating hunger and poverty.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban’s exclusionary governance, extreme decrees targeting women, and severe human rights violations have contributed to their lack of recognition by any country.
